With the arrest last fortnight in Amritsar of Sarabjit Singh, a Jammu-based All-India Sikh Students' Federation (AISSF) volunteer, and his sustained interrogation, the Indian Government has received final confirmation, about the involvement of Pakistan in training and motivating Sikh terrorists.

By his own account, Sarabjit, who has a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head, stayed for about five months in Pakistan and was regularly in touch with some of the top extremists, including Attinderpal Singh, a key witness wanted in connection with the conspiracy behind Mrs Gandhi's assassination.

A prominent planner and recruiter for the terrorists, Sarabjit has made one of the most detailed and exhaustive disclosures about Pakistan's involvement starting from the time he was blindfolded and taken to Lahore and then to hide-outs and training camps in Pakistan. He has described Pakistani officials who trained him, and has furnished details about the crossing points along the Line of Actual Control.

The Sarabjit interrogation gives in some detail his transition from a goldsmith's son in Gurdaspur, to an AISSF activist during the Bhindranwale era and later to a prominent activist and planner. The transition was smooth: born in village Putligarh in Amritsar on March 5, 1958, the eldest of three brothers, Sarabjit was an intelligent student having passed MA in Punjabi with merit.

But one crucial step led to another and Sarabjit's academic career ground to a halt when he became a member of the AISSF, as an activist of the outlawed organisation's Jammu unit. Sarabjit was slowly drawn to centre-stage by leaders like Harminder Singh Sandhu.

He went underground after Operation Bluestar in June and with the Indian security agencies breathing down his neck, sought refuge in Pakistan where he was welcomed with open arms.

After his arrest last fortnight, he was subjected to intensive interrogation by various intelligence agencies. India Today was able to obtain a portion of his interrogation report:

Initiation: "In 1978 I was baptised at the Anandpur Sahib gurudwara and after that I shifted to Jammu from Chandigarh and started organising the All-India Sikh Students Federation with the help of Avtar Singh. From '78 to '81 Avtar Singh and I were in the forefront, launching agitations and protest marches together. There were training camps in Jammu where training in the use of firearms was given. In one of them a young volunteer died of accidental gunshot wounds."

Morchas and agitations: Courted arrest several times in Jammu and also during the arrest of Bhindranwale. "During the Non-Aligned Meet I was asked by Sandhu to distribute some press releases to newspaper offices." Sarabjit claims that he had no idea what the releases related to. "In Delhi I met Virsa Singh and Sarabjit Singh Tony of Amritsar and distributed press releases. Virsa Singh later told me that he was responsible for the bomb blast at Palika Bazar." (India Today, June 15).

Sarabjit is wary about admitting his involvement in any violent activity. In 1983, he was asked by Avtar Singh to carry arms to Amritsar several times. In June 1984, two Sikh youths confessed to him that they had bombed railway tracks. Sarabjit claims that by June 1984, he had completely stopped all his activity and gone underground.

Post-Bluestar and Pakistan: "In September I went to Srinagar and stayed in gurudwaras there. In the last week of November when I was in Singh Sabha in Raghunath Bazar in Jammu, two clean-shaved youths got in touch with me and offered to help me to cross the Actual Line of Control. I later received a message from Attinderpal Singh.

On December 16, 1984, I took the help of these youths and crossed the Line of Actual Control from Devigarh village to a Pakistani checkpost near village Kharore. I reached at about 7 p.m. I told the ranger of the post to call military intelligence. After two-and-a-half hours, a jeep came and picked me up. I was taken to the next point which was a military guest-house in Sialkot. That was the day of the Pakistan referendum and no one talked to me.

"On December 21 a person named 'Malik' met me. I was taken to another place, a well-furnished house. Malik noted down my bio-data and asked for details about me. I was questioned for two to three days. I think Malik was a colonel in the Pak army. He was fair-complexioned, stout built, a mole on his left side cheek, about 35 years in age wearing a salwar kameez.

"I was taken to a well-furnished bungalow. The house was surrounded by a huge boundary wall about six feet high. I was kept indoors and my door was locked from outside. But I was looked after well. I realised that there were other Sikh youths staying in the same bungalow because I used to hear voices. One day, two Sikhs met me. One of them said his name was Faqir Singh and the other did not disclose his name.

"Malik asked me what I want. I told him that I want to meet Attinderpal Singh. Initially, he pleaded ignorance and claimed that he had no knowledge where he was. But two or three days later he promised to try and locate him. On January 5 I was shifted to another bungalow. We had to travel a lot in a jeep covered with curtains. We had to travel for about one-and-a-half hours. We then reached another bungalow again with high boundary walls. It was in a remote section of the city. Attinderpal Singh met me here.

"Others with him included S. Gurjit Singh (president, AISSF, Ferozepur) and Mohansingh Gardwai. In the bungalow, one Colonel Asif spoke to us. We told Asif that we wanted political asylum and financial help. Asif told us that our (the Pakistani) Government has yet to take a stand on the kind of support you (Sikh extremists) will get. But he promised to get guns. Our contention was that asylum should be given to us...we later learnt that some Sikh youths were in jail. We insisted that Asif take us there."

Planning and execution: "On February 17 we were all taken to another bungalow in the outskirts of Lahore. Asif took Attinderpal Singh and Gurjit Singh to jail where they met many other Sikh youths including Baldev Singh and Ajaib Singh.

"By March the political situation in Punjab had changed very fast. Attinderpal Singh and Gurjit Singh had differences. In spite of it we all sat together and discussed our strategy. It was decided that I would go to India with Baldev Singh. Pakistanis also liked the idea. By April we started receiving training from the Pakistanis. We were taught the use of revolvers and Sten guns and automatic weapons. We were also taught the use of chemicals.

"During our stay in Pakistan, Asif and Malik instigated the boys. We were repeatedly told that the Indian Government was crushing the Sikhs. We were also told to arrange for hide-outs and safe houses in Punjab. In Lahore, Amrik Singh of Akal Federation met us. It appears that there are approximtely 500 Sikh youths but I do not know whether all of them are receiving training. There are 300 to 350 youths in Kot Lakhpat jail and the rest have been kept in safe houses.

"On the night of April 12 and 13, Baldev Singh and I, with the help of Pakistani smugglers, crossed the Actual Line of Control. I do not know the name of the Indian post or the Pakistan post but we travelled for eight to ten hours... but I noticed that it was somewhere near Fazilka. Before leaving, Asif gave us one .455 revolver, 30 bullets and Rs 2,000 each for personal use. When I reached Amritsar I handed over the weapons to Baldev Singh. I began staying in the Golden Temple. On April 28-29, Baldev Singh came back with others, including Harminder Singh Kehlon and Dr Bhagwan Singh.

"I told them of my desire to meet Baba Joginder Singh and in the first week of May, we - Kehlon, Dr Bhagwan Singh and myself - went to Rhode to meet Babaji. The talks were not encouraging. We demanded hide-outs but they refused.... Finally I was getting frustrated.... I was planning to surrender when I was actually arrested by the Amritsar police."

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